Ski season 09/10 … Day 9
Yesterday I went skiing at Windham in the Catskills of upstate NY. It was the first dry day in several. Sunny and warm, near 60, in fact.br /Mrs. did not go because she did not feel fully recovered from our last trip up to Whiteface near Lake Placid.br /br /I had intended to arrive before the lifts opened but going later than planned and I was kicking myself for it. I was concerned that the snow might get too mushy with the warm temps but I needn't have worried.br /br /When I arrived shortly after the lifts had opened for the day, it was still icy.br /br /That soft looking snow under the lift is hard ice!br /div id="ar64" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_203cnxz6hf9_b" style="height: 486px; width: 648px;" //divbr /br /They had groomed one width on each of the trails (White Way and What's Next) but the grooming was like frozen granola rather than corduroy.br /br /And God help you if you got off the groom!br /br /In any event, it was rough!br /br /I did a few runs on the lower mountain, then decided to check out Wanderer, an easy green on the top of East Mountain.br /br /Over on the "G" lift there was a sign up saying "Wedgie, Experts Only!". Wedgie is a blue, normally intermediate trail. Ominous!br /br /Lift "G":br /div id="t61e" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_204hb4fc4d7_b" style="height: 606.907px; width: 648px;" //divbr /So I went up to Wanderer and did a few runs while waiting for the sun to climb higher and soften things up a bit.br /div id="vrrf" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_205d5kcjddt_b" style="height: 486px; width: 648px;" //divbr /Here's a shot looking back up one of the 2 "hills" on Wanderer. Like I said, it's an easy green. I loved this run when I was just learning a few years ago.br /div id="azli" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_206cx8t2zg4_b" style="height: 486px; width: 648px;" //divbr /Believe it or not, this switchback used to give me trouble as a beginner. Especially when icy or roughed up. Today it was no problemo!br /div id="w3v1" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_207gvws72g5_b" style="height: 486px; width: 648px;" //divbr /After this turn, Wanderer has a long runout. Usually you want to just go straight out to maintain some speed but because of all the frozen ruts I kept carving across them to avoid catching an edge. There was some relatively untracked stuff on the side but it was a little hairy cause if you did catch an edge you could easily plow into the snow guns or go off the drop. (I almost did).br /br /I broke for lunch about 11:30 and ran into a friend from church with his 2 sons. The funny thing is, we'd been trying to get together to do something for the last 2 years and this is how it happens. Serendipitous!br /br /Sawyer, Ken and Morgan on top of the West Mountain, Windham.br /div id="xku6" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_208f73mv4f6_b" style="height: 486px; width: 648px;" //divbr /After lunch I took one run by myself up on the West mountain and by this time the snow was soft and creamy like sherbet. Just how I like it! Ken and his sons were just booting up so I joined them for most of the rest of the afternoon. Ken does telemark.br /br /We did a couple runs on Upper Wraparound which is probably the easiest blue on the mountain.br /div id="m6j2" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_209ghbbmhcv_b" style="height: 486px; width: 648px;" //divbr /Wraparound has about 3 wide switchbacks which are a lot of fun. Great views too!br /div id="r.so" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_210dngzs2g7_b" style="height: 486px; width: 648px;" //divbr /div id="xmth" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_211cf6vh2hm_b" style="height: 486px; width: 648px;" //divbr /div id="rvc5" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_212d9kkghg6_b" style="height: 486px; width: 648px;" //divbr /After a couple of runs Ken and I went down Upper Warpath. This was steep but didn't look too bad until we got on it!br /br /It was starting to get pretty mogul-ly! But I did OK. I didn't fall but did one "sit-down" at the end of a traverse. I had been thinking about my cry-baby performance on Whiteface and realized I could do these bumpy runs with the soft crud. It helped that the soft snow is slow.br /br /Here's Ken at the bottom of Warpath just before the terrain park.br /div id="s.dn" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_213dpcd2dhh_b" style="height: 486px; width: 648px;" //divbr /Later on I lost track of Ken and his sons after I took a break and they didn't. I took a detour off Wraparound to Whiskey Jackbr /div id="a8oy" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_216xk7d5m3w_b" style="height: 486px; width: 648px;" //divbr /Whiskey Jack was pretty fun. It's sort of a narrow, quasi-pipe type of run with some turns.br /div id="lroc" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_217fxsc6hcs_b" style="height: 486px; width: 648px;" //divbr /Here is the bottom of Whiskey Jack looking across to Lift "G" and Lower Wraparound to your leftbr /div id="lcw_" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_222d5q25gfj_b" style="height: 486px; width: 648px;" //divbr /Later, I intended to take the Warpath chute that Ken and I took before but then bypass bumpy Warpath and go on to some of the other (hopefully easier) blues. Mistakenly, I took Whisper which goes directly to Warpath and then it's only way down. Oh well.br /br /Whisper was "interesting" in that it was a narrow and shaded chute (as in "icy"). I basically lost control here cause it was so unexpectedly fast, rough and narrow and I was afraid of going over the edge before I could make my turns. I rode it out full bore and survived it but then was deposited back on bumpy Warpath which I had not intended to take again. I'm doing better at staying upright when it gets rough but still don't feel like I'm particularly in control.br /br /Here's a look up at Whisper from Warpath. I could see how they designated Wedgie "expert" earlier because it is a much steeper trail and if it was ice ... well ..br /div id="novs" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_214mx5hc6rv_b" style="height: 486px; width: 648px;" //divbr /Here's a look down Warpath from almost the top. I did much better this time. These bumps kill my quads rather than my knees.br /Doesn't look bumpy in the picture does it? Well it wasn't your traditional "seeded" mogul field.br /div id="t472" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_215v83vqpdn_b" style="height: 486px; width: 648px;" //divbr /I took a left at the bottom of Warpath just before the terrain park that you can see in the picture.br /The cross-mountain trail is called Wall Street (do you see a theme here in the trail names? hint "W")br /Turned right on Wall Street onto Lower Wiseacresbr /div id="x25v" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_218cktd3xc4_b" style="height: 486px; width: 648px;" //divbr /Start of Lower Wiseacres:br /div id="ui7r" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_219gwvqfcgw_b" style="height: 486px; width: 648px;" /br /br /Further down Wiseacres:br //divdiv id="ut9d" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_220cpqw5td5_b" style="height: 486px; width: 648px;" //divbr /div id="y-5g" style="text-align: left;"A final shot looking down Lower Wraparound:br /div id="fk9:" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_223tx7nt8gp_b" style="height: 486px; width: 648px;" //divbr //divEach ski day gets better and better towards the end of the season providing the weather holds out and this one was no exception.br /br /Saturday ... Butternut with the Men's group from church!div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7323354418986149123-6642330478958992108?l=funfit50.blogspot.com' alt='' //div
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Ski season 09/10 … Day 9
Yesterday I went skiing at Windham in the Catskills of upstate NY. It was the first dry day in several. Sunny and warm, near 60, in fact.br /Mrs. did not go because she did not feel fully recovered from our last trip up to Whiteface near Lake Placid.br /br /I had intended to arrive before the lifts opened but going later than planned and I was kicking myself for it. I was concerned that the snow might get too mushy with the warm temps but I needn't have worried.br /br /When I arrived shortly after the lifts had opened for the day, it was still icy.br /br /That soft looking snow under the lift is hard ice!br /div id="ar64" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_203cnxz6hf9_b" style="height: 486px; width: 648px;" //divbr /br /They had groomed one width on each of the trails (White Way and What's Next) but the grooming was like frozen granola rather than corduroy.br /br /And God help you if you got off the groom!br /br /In any event, it was rough!br /br /I did a few runs on the lower mountain, then decided to check out Wanderer, an easy green on the top of East Mountain.br /br /Over on the "G" lift there was a sign up saying "Wedgie, Experts Only!". Wedgie is a blue, normally intermediate trail. Ominous!br /br /Lift "G":br /div id="t61e" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_204hb4fc4d7_b" style="height: 606.907px; width: 648px;" //divbr /So I went up to Wanderer and did a few runs while waiting for the sun to climb higher and soften things up a bit.br /div id="vrrf" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_205d5kcjddt_b" style="height: 486px; width: 648px;" //divbr /Here's a shot looking back up one of the 2 "hills" on Wanderer. Like I said, it's an easy green. I loved this run when I was just learning a few years ago.br /div id="azli" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_206cx8t2zg4_b" style="height: 486px; width: 648px;" //divbr /Believe it or not, this switchback used to give me trouble as a beginner. Especially when icy or roughed up. Today it was no problemo!br /div id="w3v1" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_207gvws72g5_b" style="height: 486px; width: 648px;" //divbr /After this turn, Wanderer has a long runout. Usually you want to just go straight out to maintain some speed but because of all the frozen ruts I kept carving across them to avoid catching an edge. There was some relatively untracked stuff on the side but it was a little hairy cause if you did catch an edge you could easily plow into the snow guns or go off the drop. (I almost did).br /br /I broke for lunch about 11:30 and ran into a friend from church with his 2 sons. The funny thing is, we'd been trying to get together to do something for the last 2 years and this is how it happens. Serendipitous!br /br /Sawyer, Ken and Morgan on top of the West Mountain, Windham.br /div id="xku6" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_208f73mv4f6_b" style="height: 486px; width: 648px;" //divbr /After lunch I took one run by myself up on the West mountain and by this time the snow was soft and creamy like sherbet. Just how I like it! Ken and his sons were just booting up so I joined them for most of the rest of the afternoon. Ken does telemark.br /br /We did a couple runs on Upper Wraparound which is probably the easiest blue on the mountain.br /div id="m6j2" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_209ghbbmhcv_b" style="height: 486px; width: 648px;" //divbr /Wraparound has about 3 wide switchbacks which are a lot of fun. Great views too!br /div id="r.so" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_210dngzs2g7_b" style="height: 486px; width: 648px;" //divbr /div id="xmth" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_211cf6vh2hm_b" style="height: 486px; width: 648px;" //divbr /div id="rvc5" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_212d9kkghg6_b" style="height: 486px; width: 648px;" //divbr /After a couple of runs Ken and I went down Upper Warpath. This was steep but didn't look too bad until we got on it!br /br /It was starting to get pretty mogul-ly! But I did OK. I didn't fall but did one "sit-down" at the end of a traverse. I had been thinking about my cry-baby performance on Whiteface and realized I could do these bumpy runs with the soft crud. It helped that the soft snow is slow.br /br /Here's Ken at the bottom of Warpath just before the terrain park.br /div id="s.dn" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_213dpcd2dhh_b" style="height: 486px; width: 648px;" //divbr /Later on I lost track of Ken and his sons after I took a break and they didn't. I took a detour off Wraparound to Whiskey Jackbr /div id="a8oy" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_216xk7d5m3w_b" style="height: 486px; width: 648px;" //divbr /Whiskey Jack was pretty fun. It's sort of a narrow, quasi-pipe type of run with some turns.br /div id="lroc" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_217fxsc6hcs_b" style="height: 486px; width: 648px;" //divbr /Here is the bottom of Whiskey Jack looking across to Lift "G" and Lower Wraparound to your leftbr /div id="lcw_" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_222d5q25gfj_b" style="height: 486px; width: 648px;" //divbr /Later, I intended to take the Warpath chute that Ken and I took before but then bypass bumpy Warpath and go on to some of the other (hopefully easier) blues. Mistakenly, I took Whisper which goes directly to Warpath and then it's only way down. Oh well.br /br /Whisper was "interesting" in that it was a narrow and shaded chute (as in "icy"). I basically lost control here cause it was so unexpectedly fast, rough and narrow and I was afraid of going over the edge before I could make my turns. I rode it out full bore and survived it but then was deposited back on bumpy Warpath which I had not intended to take again. I'm doing better at staying upright when it gets rough but still don't feel like I'm particularly in control.br /br /Here's a look up at Whisper from Warpath. I could see how they designated Wedgie "expert" earlier because it is a much steeper trail and if it was ice ... well ..br /div id="novs" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_214mx5hc6rv_b" style="height: 486px; width: 648px;" //divbr /Here's a look down Warpath from almost the top. I did much better this time. These bumps kill my quads rather than my knees.br /Doesn't look bumpy in the picture does it? Well it wasn't your traditional "seeded" mogul field.br /div id="t472" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_215v83vqpdn_b" style="height: 486px; width: 648px;" //divbr /I took a left at the bottom of Warpath just before the terrain park that you can see in the picture.br /The cross-mountain trail is called Wall Street (do you see a theme here in the trail names? hint "W")br /Turned right on Wall Street onto Lower Wiseacresbr /div id="x25v" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_218cktd3xc4_b" style="height: 486px; width: 648px;" //divbr /Start of Lower Wiseacres:br /div id="ui7r" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_219gwvqfcgw_b" style="height: 486px; width: 648px;" /br /br /Further down Wiseacres:br //divdiv id="ut9d" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_220cpqw5td5_b" style="height: 486px; width: 648px;" //divbr /div id="y-5g" style="text-align: left;"A final shot looking down Lower Wraparound:br /div id="fk9:" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_223tx7nt8gp_b" style="height: 486px; width: 648px;" //divbr //divEach ski day gets better and better towards the end of the season providing the weather holds out and this one was no exception.br /br /Saturday ... Butternut with the Men's group from church!div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7323354418986149123-6642330478958992108?l=funfit50.blogspot.com' alt='' //div
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Product Review - Xtensor
If you remember, almost 2 years ago now, I injured my left hand in a a href="http://funfit50.blogspot.com/2008/04/endo.html" id="t4.e" title="bike spill"bike spill/a. I bent my fingers backwards the wrong way and I immediately thought "broken".br /br /Luckily, nothing iwas/i broken although I was in considerable pain for a couple of days and the swelling lasted for weeks, if not months.br /br /Today, although I would say I'm mostly recovered, I can still feel an occasional stiffness in those joints.br /br /Recently, my wife saw this "Xtensor" product in a href="http://www.herringtoncatalog.com/ws139.html" id="vvih" title="Herrington's catalog"Herrington's catalog/a and we decided to try it. The price was $39.95br /br /div id="fap9" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_201spt7htgc_b" style="height: 375px; width: 375px;" //divbr /The same model works on either hand so you only have to buy one even if you want to use it for both hands.br /br /As you can see from the picture, the device consists of a plastic frame with straps around the wrist and a series of latex bands that attach to your fingers and then to mounting slots in the palm.br /br /There are 3 rows of mounting slots to adjust the tension.br /br /I found that it works well, as advertised, and I do believe it has helped strengthen my injured fingers and relieved some of the stiffness.br /br /The biggest downside is that the latex bands tend to wear and break rather quickly. The Xtensor comes with lots of extra bands but eventually you will have to buy more if you continue to use it.br /br /I also found that the band for my middle finger tends to work it's way out of the mounting slot after several reps and I need to stop and reset it or it will eventually release and go flying across the room.br /br /The Xtensor comes with a DVD that provides a video demonstrating a variety of exercises as well as how to set up the device.br /br /I would say this is a worthwhile purchase for anyone recovering from a hand injury although I would check with a physical therapist first about your specific situation. In my case, the physical therapist gave me plenty of exercises that I could do without purchasing any special equipment.br /br /This would also probably be good for someone who uses a computer all day or plays a lot of video games.br /br /There is more competitive pricing available if you look around.div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7323354418986149123-3192113418823053056?l=funfit50.blogspot.com' alt='' //div
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Product Review - Xtensor
If you remember, almost 2 years ago now, I injured my left hand in a a href="http://funfit50.blogspot.com/2008/04/endo.html" id="t4.e" title="bike spill"bike spill/a. I bent my fingers backwards the wrong way and I immediately thought "broken".br /br /Luckily, nothing iwas/i broken although I was in considerable pain for a couple of days and the swelling lasted for weeks, if not months.br /br /Today, although I would say I'm mostly recovered, I can still feel an occasional stiffness in those joints.br /br /Recently, my wife saw this "Xtensor" product in a href="http://www.herringtoncatalog.com/ws139.html" id="vvih" title="Herrington's catalog"Herrington's catalog/a and we decided to try it. The price was $39.95br /br /div id="fap9" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_201spt7htgc_b" style="height: 375px; width: 375px;" //divbr /The same model works on either hand so you only have to buy one even if you want to use it for both hands.br /br /As you can see from the picture, the device consists of a plastic frame with straps around the wrist and a series of latex bands that attach to your fingers and then to mounting slots in the palm.br /br /There are 3 rows of mounting slots to adjust the tension.br /br /I found that it works well, as advertised, and I do believe it has helped strengthen my injured fingers and relieved some of the stiffness.br /br /The biggest downside is that the latex bands tend to wear and break rather quickly. The Xtensor comes with lots of extra bands but eventually you will have to buy more if you continue to use it.br /br /I also found that the band for my middle finger tends to work it's way out of the mounting slot after several reps and I need to stop and reset it or it will eventually release and go flying across the room.br /br /The Xtensor comes with a DVD that provides a video demonstrating a variety of exercises as well as how to set up the device.br /br /I would say this is a worthwhile purchase for anyone recovering from a hand injury although I would check with a physical therapist first about your specific situation. In my case, the physical therapist gave me plenty of exercises that I could do without purchasing any special equipment.br /br /This would also probably be good for someone who uses a computer all day or plays a lot of video games.br /br /There is more competitive pricing available if you look around.div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7323354418986149123-3192113418823053056?l=funfit50.blogspot.com' alt='' //div
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The Common Cold is Bad for Your Health!
Well, yeah.br /br /What I mean is, you're not supposed to exercise when you have a cold. So you're not working on your fitness ergo your health.br /br /At least according to this a href="http://www.drmirkin.com/fitness/exercise_with_flu_or_cold.html" id="d7db" title="should I exercise when I have a cold or flu?"article by Dr. Gabe Mirkin/a.br /br /He says "Most doctors allow their patients to exercise when they have a cold, as long as they don't have a fever and their muscles don't hurt when they exercise. However, it's probably better to stop exercising altogether when you have an infection."br /br /I have a cold. I started feeling it on Friday afternoon and today it's full blown.br /br /The last time I came down with a cold, not too long ago, I knocked it out completely in 2 days by totally vegging out. That was on a weekend. I was lucky.br /br /I did go out for a short and easy bike ride yesterday because it was so nice.br /br /The weather has got really sunny and warm. It's killing me to not go out on the bike. I was planning on a hammerfest on Sunday, but it was not to be. I skipped church and slept a good part of the day.br /br /Saturday, took a walk with wife and daughter in a local park. There was still snow on the ground in most places which made it challenging.br /br /Here are some pics:br /div id="hl4u" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_193ckv5d5gr_b" style="height: 486px; width: 648px;" //divbr /It was tempting me to come back on the x-c skis.br /div id="v_5h" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_194dxbnvhfq_b" style="height: 486px; width: 648px;" //divbr /Somebody had been out!br /br /div id="nup3" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_195dskwk5d2_b" style="height: 486px; width: 648px;" //divbr /A canopy of trees!br /div id="jpwa" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_196pwnmc6dc_b" style="height: 486px; width: 648px;" //divbr /Foot bridgebr /div id="pruk" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_197gbmf8pdj_b" style="height: 486px; width: 648px;" //divbr /The trail passes by an alpaca farm. Last time we were here, they came right up to us. Today we couldn't get them interested.br /div id="ae5m" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_198crdf2xcd_b" style="height: 486px; width: 648px;" //divbr /There's that blue sky!br /div id="ffd3" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_199gjrbgpc5_b" style="height: 486px; width: 648px;" //divbr /See ya later. I'm going back to bed!div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7323354418986149123-7008354641116229976?l=funfit50.blogspot.com' alt='' //div
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The Common Cold is Bad for Your Health!
Well, yeah.br /br /What I mean is, you're not supposed to exercise when you have a cold. So you're not working on your fitness ergo your health.br /br /At least according to this a href="http://www.drmirkin.com/fitness/exercise_with_flu_or_cold.html" id="d7db" title="should I exercise when I have a cold or flu?"article by Dr. Gabe Mirkin/a.br /br /He says "Most doctors allow their patients to exercise when they have a cold, as long as they don't have a fever and their muscles don't hurt when they exercise. However, it's probably better to stop exercising altogether when you have an infection."br /br /I have a cold. I started feeling it on Friday afternoon and today it's full blown.br /br /The last time I came down with a cold, not too long ago, I knocked it out completely in 2 days by totally vegging out. That was on a weekend. I was lucky.br /br /I did go out for a short and easy bike ride yesterday because it was so nice.br /br /The weather has got really sunny and warm. It's killing me to not go out on the bike. I was planning on a hammerfest on Sunday, but it was not to be. I skipped church and slept a good part of the day.br /br /Saturday, took a walk with wife and daughter in a local park. There was still snow on the ground in most places which made it challenging.br /br /Here are some pics:br /div id="hl4u" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_193ckv5d5gr_b" style="height: 486px; width: 648px;" //divbr /It was tempting me to come back on the x-c skis.br /div id="v_5h" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_194dxbnvhfq_b" style="height: 486px; width: 648px;" //divbr /Somebody had been out!br /br /div id="nup3" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_195dskwk5d2_b" style="height: 486px; width: 648px;" //divbr /A canopy of trees!br /div id="jpwa" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_196pwnmc6dc_b" style="height: 486px; width: 648px;" //divbr /Foot bridgebr /div id="pruk" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_197gbmf8pdj_b" style="height: 486px; width: 648px;" //divbr /The trail passes by an alpaca farm. Last time we were here, they came right up to us. Today we couldn't get them interested.br /div id="ae5m" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_198crdf2xcd_b" style="height: 486px; width: 648px;" //divbr /There's that blue sky!br /div id="ffd3" style="text-align: left;"img src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_199gjrbgpc5_b" style="height: 486px; width: 648px;" //divbr /See ya later. I'm going back to bed!div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7323354418986149123-7008354641116229976?l=funfit50.blogspot.com' alt='' //div
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First Flat of the Season
Took the road bike out on Thursday. It was to be an easy "recovery" ride cause all my muscles were still aching from skiing Whiteface on Tuesday.br /I also intended it to serve as a shakeout run for the bike. I think I had only ridden it once all winter and that because my car wouldn't start (it was 5० and my battery just quit). Also, this was after work and I wasn't sure how much daylight I would have to ride in.br /br /So, I only intended to take a short (1/2 hour) ride on flat terrain, spinning easily.br /br /It went OK until about 1/4 mile from home. I felt the thump, thump, thump for a few seconds before I realized it was something I needed to tend to ... flat tire.br /br /My fault really.br /br /I was pushing my luck with this tube. It was a slow leaker for most of last season. It was fine during rides but I always had to put 30 or 40 pounds into it the next day. I knew I shouldn't be riding it but hey, I carry a spare.br /br /But I didn't want to change a tube in 30० weather so after a few half-hearted attempts to pump some air into it, I gave up and walked the bike home. Fortunately I was that close.br /br /I changed out the tube next day and was quite pleased. I don't change enough tires to be able to do it without thinking but this went pretty well. I remember when I first bought those tires I was sure they were too small for the wheels. I was not able to get one on. I actually brought it back to a href="http://maddogbicycles.com/" id="nonr" title="Mad Dog Bicycles"Mad Dog/a, my LBS and Matt put it on quite easily for me. I was kind of embarrassed (especially since I had proposed to him at one time that he hire me as a trainee bike mechanic).br /br /So when I bought a second one of the same model, I toughed it out myself, and it iwas/i tough.br /br /This time, however it was a piece of cake. I was wondering why and thinking it was maybe because I had the replacement tube "soaking" in a zip-lock bag with tons of talcum powder but as I write this, I think it's just because the tire is well used and "stretched" out.br /br /Whatever the reason, I didn't even have to use the a href="http://www.crankbrothers.com/speedlever.php" id="k005" title="Crank Brothers speed lever"Crank Brothers speed lever/a img id="m5-q" src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_186g962zpcm_b" style="float: left; height: 250px; margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 1em; width: 410px;" /that I bought to put it back on.br /br /I was also pleased putting the rear wheel back on the bike. I usually wrestle with getting the chain and gears right, getting my hands all greasy in the process but at a benefit ride last year, my friend Brad put my wheel on with one hand, never touching any of the greasy parts. He just kind of "snaked" the cogs into the chain in the right place and pulled the axle back into the dropouts with one fluid motion.br /br /Needless to say, I was impressed.br /br /So I tried it myself this time after a little intense study of the cog and chain and, while not quite as effortlessly as Brad, I did it! It worked!br /br /I was quite pleased and kind of amazed.br /br /While I was at it, I patched and tested 3 old tubes I had laying around so now I am all set for the season.br /br /This is a neat time of year. It's starting to get sunny and warm enough to try a few bike rides yet there's still enough snow in the mountains to go skiing.br /br /Best of both worlds.div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7323354418986149123-783140065076094302?l=funfit50.blogspot.com' alt='' //div
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First Flat of the Season
Took the road bike out on Thursday. It was to be an easy "recovery" ride cause all my muscles were still aching from skiing Whiteface on Tuesday.br /I also intended it to serve as a shakeout run for the bike. I think I had only ridden it once all winter and that because my car wouldn't start (it was 5० and my battery just quit). Also, this was after work and I wasn't sure how much daylight I would have to ride in.br /br /So, I only intended to take a short (1/2 hour) ride on flat terrain, spinning easily.br /br /It went OK until about 1/4 mile from home. I felt the thump, thump, thump for a few seconds before I realized it was something I needed to tend to ... flat tire.br /br /My fault really.br /br /I was pushing my luck with this tube. It was a slow leaker for most of last season. It was fine during rides but I always had to put 30 or 40 pounds into it the next day. I knew I shouldn't be riding it but hey, I carry a spare.br /br /But I didn't want to change a tube in 30० weather so after a few half-hearted attempts to pump some air into it, I gave up and walked the bike home. Fortunately I was that close.br /br /I changed out the tube next day and was quite pleased. I don't change enough tires to be able to do it without thinking but this went pretty well. I remember when I first bought those tires I was sure they were too small for the wheels. I was not able to get one on. I actually brought it back to a href="http://maddogbicycles.com/" id="nonr" title="Mad Dog Bicycles"Mad Dog/a, my LBS and Matt put it on quite easily for me. I was kind of embarrassed (especially since I had proposed to him at one time that he hire me as a trainee bike mechanic).br /br /So when I bought a second one of the same model, I toughed it out myself, and it iwas/i tough.br /br /This time, however it was a piece of cake. I was wondering why and thinking it was maybe because I had the replacement tube "soaking" in a zip-lock bag with tons of talcum powder but as I write this, I think it's just because the tire is well used and "stretched" out.br /br /Whatever the reason, I didn't even have to use the a href="http://www.crankbrothers.com/speedlever.php" id="k005" title="Crank Brothers speed lever"Crank Brothers speed lever/a img id="m5-q" src="https://docs.google.com/File?id=dfjr448f_186g962zpcm_b" style="float: left; height: 250px; margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 1em; width: 410px;" /that I bought to put it back on.br /br /I was also pleased putting the rear wheel back on the bike. I usually wrestle with getting the chain and gears right, getting my hands all greasy in the process but at a benefit ride last year, my friend Brad put my wheel on with one hand, never touching any of the greasy parts. He just kind of "snaked" the cogs into the chain in the right place and pulled the axle back into the dropouts with one fluid motion.br /br /Needless to say, I was impressed.br /br /So I tried it myself this time after a little intense study of the cog and chain and, while not quite as effortlessly as Brad, I did it! It worked!br /br /I was quite pleased and kind of amazed.br /br /While I was at it, I patched and tested 3 old tubes I had laying around so now I am all set for the season.br /br /This is a neat time of year. It's starting to get sunny and warm enough to try a few bike rides yet there's still enough snow in the mountains to go skiing.br /br /Best of both worlds.div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7323354418986149123-783140065076094302?l=funfit50.blogspot.com' alt='' //div
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Fear
I have to admit it and I hate to admit it but Mrs. MTBMan1 is more brave than I.br /br /She's always the faster one on the ski hills and not just because of skill but because of her fearlessness.br /br /She relishes the thrill of the risk.br /br /I was confronted with this realization last Tuesday on the summit of Whiteface.a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ErSlrNP9QXQ/S5DxdwGAtnI/AAAAAAAAEdY/OrrS360XKJo/s1600-h/whiteface+summit+best.jpg"img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ErSlrNP9QXQ/S5DxdwGAtnI/AAAAAAAAEdY/OrrS360XKJo/s320/whiteface+summit+best.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445117442919544434" border="0" //abr /br /While she was enjoying the views and suggesting I take pictures of this and that, I was just annoyed because my attention was consumed by what looked like sheer drops on all sides. I wanted to get on with it and get it over with.br /br /For me, it's because of the unknown. We knew there were intermediate trails from the summit and we intended to take those but there's intermediate and INTERMEDIATE. These trail difficulty designations are somewhat subjective and vary quite a bit from mountain to mountain.br /br /Generally, on the bigger mountains, intermediate trails are going to be tougher and steeper than on the smaller resorts.br /br /Also, difficulty varies with the conditions. A trail that's icy or is slushy crud is going to be harder than first tracks on a groomed trail with soft, packed powder underneath.br /br /So anyhow, the trail was great. While it was late morning and the grooming was no longer pristine, the snow was soft and manageable.br /br /From the top we took Riva Ridge to Paron's Run a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ErSlrNP9QXQ/S5DzNQ8bbEI/AAAAAAAAEdo/kp4CtyTnK1A/s1600-h/paron%27s+run.jpg"img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ErSlrNP9QXQ/S5DzNQ8bbEI/AAAAAAAAEdo/kp4CtyTnK1A/s320/paron%27s+run.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445119358703201346" border="0" //athen John's Bypass to connector to Victoria. a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ErSlrNP9QXQ/S5DtbH_6API/AAAAAAAAEdI/cEoY5LCg_mY/s1600-h/Whiteface+trails+summit.jpg"img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ErSlrNP9QXQ/S5DtbH_6API/AAAAAAAAEdI/cEoY5LCg_mY/s320/Whiteface+trails+summit.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445112999750271218" border="0" //aOn Paron's Run I slid out once but no real problem. Victoria gave me my first trouble and faceplant. It was steep and bumpy. Not real moguls but enough of a challenge for me to take it cautiously. I'm getting better at picking out a line in this stuff but I think sometimes I'm a little too far forward of a skier and not light enough on my feet. Anyway I hit a pile of crud on a bump and clipped out of one ski. Face forward down the hill. Then it's a steep walk up hill carrying one ski and poles to retrieve my other ski.br /br /I suppose I could have left my ski and poles downhill. That would have made it easier climbing. Before I got to it, another skier on the way down picked up and brought me my ski. Thanks.br /br /While it's easier getting up on a steep slope I have trouble clipping back into my skis. I thought I had them clipped in but when I took off, the one ski fell right off again.br /br /I often marvel at other skiers how relaxed and natural they look sliding down a slope that has me white-knuckling. They look like they're going comfortably slow and not working hard.br /br /If I make turns often enough to maintain a comfortable speed, I find it very tiring and can't maintain it for too long. So I wind up either going too fast for comfort or doing wide traverses across the slope face which is even more unstable and tiring.br /br /I'm sure losing some weight will help. Less for gravity to pull and less for me to resist.br /br /Similarly, when we took The Wilmington Trail a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ErSlrNP9QXQ/S5DtukNY8cI/AAAAAAAAEdQ/KNBxYHjyRFM/s1600-h/whiteface+lookout+mtn.jpg"img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ErSlrNP9QXQ/S5DtukNY8cI/AAAAAAAAEdQ/KNBxYHjyRFM/s320/whiteface+lookout+mtn.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445113333740532162" border="0" //afrom the top of Lookout Mountain, it started out pretty flata onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ErSlrNP9QXQ/S5Dx9gRCHBI/AAAAAAAAEdg/nBB0TWt2o80/s1600-h/LookoutMtLR%281%29.jpg"img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ErSlrNP9QXQ/S5Dx9gRCHBI/AAAAAAAAEdg/nBB0TWt2o80/s320/LookoutMtLR%281%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445117988426619922" border="0" //abr /but then has 4 or 5 steep, narrow and bumpy sections that discouraged me to look at them. Also the left side of the trail was all drop off with an orange fencebr /a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ErSlrNP9QXQ/S5D-Rq3YMrI/AAAAAAAAEdw/GBsmJe3xYjA/s1600-h/whiteface+wilmington+trail.jpg"img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 132px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ErSlrNP9QXQ/S5D-Rq3YMrI/AAAAAAAAEdw/GBsmJe3xYjA/s320/whiteface+wilmington+trail.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445131529008722610" border="0" //abut the fence wouldn't hold you if you hit it head on.br /br /Mrs. MTBMan1 was still enjoying it though even though it was a challenge for her too.br /br /I enjoyed it too, in retrospect. I wish I could take another crack at it now that I know what to expect. But Whiteface is too expensive for us without free or heavily discounted tickets.br /br /So I'm cautious. I'm not saying I'm going to change or even want to change. As my skill improves, so will my confidence, so that part will change.br /br /Mrs. MTBMan1 is a risk taker and I'm not.br /br /That's just the way it is.div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7323354418986149123-1514125986972209837?l=funfit50.blogspot.com' alt='' //div
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Fear
I have to admit it and I hate to admit it but Mrs. MTBMan1 is more brave than I.br /br /She's always the faster one on the ski hills and not just because of skill but because of her fearlessness.br /br /She relishes the thrill of the risk.br /br /I was confronted with this realization last Tuesday on the summit of Whiteface.a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ErSlrNP9QXQ/S5DxdwGAtnI/AAAAAAAAEdY/OrrS360XKJo/s1600-h/whiteface+summit+best.jpg"img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ErSlrNP9QXQ/S5DxdwGAtnI/AAAAAAAAEdY/OrrS360XKJo/s320/whiteface+summit+best.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445117442919544434" border="0" //abr /br /While she was enjoying the views and suggesting I take pictures of this and that, I was just annoyed because my attention was consumed by what looked like sheer drops on all sides. I wanted to get on with it and get it over with.br /br /For me, it's because of the unknown. We knew there were intermediate trails from the summit and we intended to take those but there's intermediate and INTERMEDIATE. These trail difficulty designations are somewhat subjective and vary quite a bit from mountain to mountain.br /br /Generally, on the bigger mountains, intermediate trails are going to be tougher and steeper than on the smaller resorts.br /br /Also, difficulty varies with the conditions. A trail that's icy or is slushy crud is going to be harder than first tracks on a groomed trail with soft, packed powder underneath.br /br /So anyhow, the trail was great. While it was late morning and the grooming was no longer pristine, the snow was soft and manageable.br /br /From the top we took Riva Ridge to Paron's Run a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ErSlrNP9QXQ/S5DzNQ8bbEI/AAAAAAAAEdo/kp4CtyTnK1A/s1600-h/paron%27s+run.jpg"img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ErSlrNP9QXQ/S5DzNQ8bbEI/AAAAAAAAEdo/kp4CtyTnK1A/s320/paron%27s+run.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445119358703201346" border="0" //athen John's Bypass to connector to Victoria. a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ErSlrNP9QXQ/S5DtbH_6API/AAAAAAAAEdI/cEoY5LCg_mY/s1600-h/Whiteface+trails+summit.jpg"img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ErSlrNP9QXQ/S5DtbH_6API/AAAAAAAAEdI/cEoY5LCg_mY/s320/Whiteface+trails+summit.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445112999750271218" border="0" //aOn Paron's Run I slid out once but no real problem. Victoria gave me my first trouble and faceplant. It was steep and bumpy. Not real moguls but enough of a challenge for me to take it cautiously. I'm getting better at picking out a line in this stuff but I think sometimes I'm a little too far forward of a skier and not light enough on my feet. Anyway I hit a pile of crud on a bump and clipped out of one ski. Face forward down the hill. Then it's a steep walk up hill carrying one ski and poles to retrieve my other ski.br /br /I suppose I could have left my ski and poles downhill. That would have made it easier climbing. Before I got to it, another skier on the way down picked up and brought me my ski. Thanks.br /br /While it's easier getting up on a steep slope I have trouble clipping back into my skis. I thought I had them clipped in but when I took off, the one ski fell right off again.br /br /I often marvel at other skiers how relaxed and natural they look sliding down a slope that has me white-knuckling. They look like they're going comfortably slow and not working hard.br /br /If I make turns often enough to maintain a comfortable speed, I find it very tiring and can't maintain it for too long. So I wind up either going too fast for comfort or doing wide traverses across the slope face which is even more unstable and tiring.br /br /I'm sure losing some weight will help. Less for gravity to pull and less for me to resist.br /br /Similarly, when we took The Wilmington Trail a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ErSlrNP9QXQ/S5DtukNY8cI/AAAAAAAAEdQ/KNBxYHjyRFM/s1600-h/whiteface+lookout+mtn.jpg"img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ErSlrNP9QXQ/S5DtukNY8cI/AAAAAAAAEdQ/KNBxYHjyRFM/s320/whiteface+lookout+mtn.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445113333740532162" border="0" //afrom the top of Lookout Mountain, it started out pretty flata onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ErSlrNP9QXQ/S5Dx9gRCHBI/AAAAAAAAEdg/nBB0TWt2o80/s1600-h/LookoutMtLR%281%29.jpg"img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ErSlrNP9QXQ/S5Dx9gRCHBI/AAAAAAAAEdg/nBB0TWt2o80/s320/LookoutMtLR%281%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445117988426619922" border="0" //a but then has 4 or 5 steep, narrow and bumpy sections that discouraged me to look at them. Also the left side of the trail was all drop off with an orange fence but the fence wouldn't hold you if you hit it head on.br /br /Mrs. MTBMan1 was still enjoying it though even though it was a challenge for her too.br /br /I enjoyed it too, in retrospect. I wish I could take another crack at it now that I know what to expect. But Whiteface is too expensive for us without free or heavily discounted tickets.br /br /So I'm cautious. I'm not saying I'm going to change or even want to change. As my skill improves, so will my confidence, so that part will change.br /br /Mrs. MTBMan1 is a risk taker and I'm not.br /br /That's just the way it is.div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7323354418986149123-1514125986972209837?l=funfit50.blogspot.com' alt='' //div
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